Red Bay Lifeboat Station is a lifeboat station operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) located at Coast Road, Cushendall, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated at the mouth of the River Dall in the Glens of Antrim, approximately 20 miles (32 km) north-east of Ballymena on the north-east coast of Northern Ireland. It is one of ten lifeboat stations in Northern Ireland and provides search and rescue cover for part of the Antrim coast.
History
A lifeboat was first stationed at Cushendall in 1972. Prior to this, the nearest lifeboat was 22 miles (35 km) away at Campbeltown on the Kintyre Peninsula in Scotland, with the nearest Irish lifeboats at Donaghadee and Portrush at least 32 miles (51 km) away. The Red Bay lifeboat committee was formed to provide a lifeboat for the Glens of Antrim area.
In May 1972, the RNLI placed a D-class (RFD PB16) Inshore lifeboat (D-196) at Cushendall. Initially kept in a small shed, a boathouse and slipway were later provided with the help of Moyle District Council. On 26 August 1972, the boat was formally handed to the local committee, and the Red Bay lifeboat station was declared operational. The first volunteers included seven members of the McCollam family and Joan Murphy, one of the first women lifeboat crew members in the RNLI.
The first effective call came on 14 September 1972, when the lifeboat towed home a small motor boat with four people aboard that had suffered engine failure 4 miles (6.4 km) offshore. D-196 served at Red Bay for 15 years, saving 47 lives.
In 1985, trials began of a larger Zodiac Grand Raid IV, later re-designated as a C-class lifeboat. In 1987, D-196 was withdrawn and replaced with Thomas Corbett (C-519), a C-class (Zodiac Grand Raid IV), which served for eight years.
By the mid-1990s, the station transitioned to Atlantic-class rigid inflatable boats. A new boathouse was built to accommodate the larger boats, along with a Talus MB-764 amphibious tractor and a Drive Off - Drive On (DO-DO) launch carriage. The new Atlantic 75 lifeboat arrived on 3 September 1996 and was named Dorothy May (B-728) at a ceremony on 19 October 1996.
Following a coastal review, an all-weather Trent-class lifeboat was placed at Red Bay for a two-year evaluation period in 2016, while the inshore boat was retained. The allocation was made permanent, and in 2019, the Trent-class lifeboat 14-32 Corinne Whiteley (ON 1253) became the station's permanent all-weather lifeboat.
In 2024, Red Bay Coxswain Patrick "Paddy" McLaughlin was awarded the MBE for his 43 years of service to the RNLI.
Current Lifeboats
The station currently operates two lifeboats:
- All-weather lifeboat: Trent-class 14-32 Corinne Whiteley (ON 1253), on station since 2019
- Inshore lifeboat: B-class (Atlantic 85) Geoffrey Charles (B-843), on station since 2010
Station Honours
Awards made at Red Bay include:
- RNLI Silver Medals (for rescues off the Antrim coast before the station was established): Lt. William Lyons (1840), Lt. Arthur Kennedy (1851), and John Aitken (1857)
- The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum: Thomas McLaughlin, Helm (2003)
- A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution: Awarded to multiple crew members (1991)
- Lifesaving Foundation 'Ireland Medal': Patrick McLaughlin, Coxswain and RNLI Trustee (2024)
- Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE): Neil Ross Workman, Honorary Secretary (1998); Patrick McLaughlin, Coxswain and RNLI Trustee (2025)
Address
Red Bay Lifeboat Station, Coast Road, Cushendall, Ballymena, Northern Ireland, BT44 0QW
The station is open to visitors by appointment only.
